Nymph-Thetis Ship Details and Seafarer Feedback

The 'Hankuk Chemi', a tanker seized by Iranian officials back in January, has been released and is currently en route to Fujairah. According to South Korea's Foreign Ministry, the vessel and its crew were freed on the morning of April 9, with reports confirming that the health of both the captain and his crew is in good condition. The tanker had been held at the port of Bandar Abbas after Iran accused it of discharging harmful chemicals into local waters. The release came about after South Korea pledged to work on unblocking Iranian assets that are frozen in South Korean banks due to U.S. sanctions. The Iranian Foreign Ministry acknowledged the ship's release following the completion of an investigation, which was requested by the vessel's owner as well as the South Korean government. The decision to release the captain also considered his clean record concerning past violations in the region.

The crew members aboard the 'Hankuk Chemi' are on the brink of returning home, as reported by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) on February 24. This crew comprises five South Korean, 11 Burmese, two Vietnamese, and two Indonesian seafarers. Their return follows a request for aid from the Federation of Korean Seafarers' Union (FKSU), which sought ITF's assistance after the crew was detained. An affiliate of the ITF, the Iranian Merchant Mariners Syndicate (IMMS), received authorization from Iranian maritime authorities to visit the vessel and assess the crew's living conditions. On February 8, an IMMS representative along with an ITF liaison in Iran boarded the tanker, accompanied by officials from the Iranian Port & Maritime Organization. A subsequent meeting took place at the Bahonar Port office, involving the IMMS team, the Republic of Korea’s consul, and representatives from the Iranian Port and Maritime Organization, to evaluate the situation and strategize for the crew’s release. Shortly thereafter, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that all crew members, except for the Master, would be granted permission to leave the country. IMMS proposed to involve Iranian seafarers to facilitate a swift and safe repatriation of the crew. The legal proceedings concerning allegations of pollution involving the tanker and its captain are still ongoing, with DM Shipping, the vessel's owner, firmly denying any wrongdoing. This incident unfolds amid heightened tensions in the region, largely due to South Korea's decision to retain Iranian oil revenues currently held in South Korean banks, totaling approximately $7 billion in frozen assets—an action deemed unacceptable by Tehran. The 'Hankuk Chemi' remains docked at Bandar Abbas as these developments progress.

In a recent development, one of the 20 crew members of the 'Hankuk Chemi,' who had been detained following an incident with Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz on January 4, has been released. The crew member, whose health condition prompted the decision, safely returned home on February 11. This event underscores the ongoing complexities surrounding maritime operations in this strategic region.